Vail Daily column: Do you remember the time ... ?

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Do you remember the time, the first time that you fell in love? Do you remember the time when you first met that special someone? Well I wish I could lay claim to those words, but they actually come from a Michael Jackson song titled, "Remember the Time."

I was coaching one of my sales clients recently and all he could say was that he remembered a time when he was really successful, making sales, making money, and had lots of close clients and friends. Then as we talked more and we started to dig a little deeper we found that he had stopped doing the very things that had earned him those clients and close friends, earned him that money, and helped him make those sales.

You see, he started to take for granted the hard work and effort he put into his career and the attention he placed on his prospects and clients. All of a sudden he was living in a comfort zone, not paying attention to detail, not doing the little things, and not going the extra mile to win the business.

So what happened? He found himself moving from the top of the leaderboard in his company to almost the bottom. They were getting ready to let him go.

Funny thing is that I had another client that I was coaching. He also remembered a time when he was really successful, had a great marriage, was having lots of fun, and thought he had found bliss. Then as we talked more and we started to dig in a little deeper we found that he too had stopped doing the very things that had first connected him and his wife, he stopped courting her, he stopped paying attention to what was important to her, and he found himself staring down at the potential for divorce.

You see, he too took for granted the hard work and effort, the romance that he had placed on his relationship to win her hand in marriage. All of a sudden he too was living in the comfort zone, not paying attention to detail, not doing the little things, not sharing his heart or feelings. And the same thing that happened to our sales champion happened to him. He went from being the star in his bride's eyes to being at the bottom, she was ready to let him go.

Do you remember the time? Do you honestly remember the time? The time you fell in love and what made you fall in love, the time you first placed eyes on your spouse, the time you first held hands, or the time you first kissed. You know what I am talking about, it's that time when your heart falls to your stomach and maybe even your toes. Well if you find yourself and your relationship at the bottom, think back to when it all first happened and when it all made sense.

Because, if you let your mind sing the song, "Do you remember the time ... " you can possibly get back to doing all those things you did that once made you famous, famous as a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, employer or employee, or even sales champion. It's not too late to claim your spot back atop the leaderboard.

Are you remembering the little things, the extra effort, the hard work in all that you do? I would love to hear all about it at gotonorton@gmail.com and I know that when you do remember, it will definitely be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is a strategic consultant, business and personal coach and motivational speaker, and CEO of www.candogo.com. He writes a weekly motivational column for the Vail Daily.